An Investigation of the Effectiveness of a Design to Initiate Curriculum Change in Home Economics Follow-Up: Phase II. Final Report.

Kievit, Mary Bach

A 15-month followup study was made of an experimental group of 79 home economics teachers who attended workshops encouraging adoption of wage-earning emphases in comprehensive high schools and a control group of 79 teachers to determine: (1) the extent and nature of curriculum change, (2) the extent to which curriculum change would have occurred without the workshops, (3) characteristics of teachers who did and did not modify curriculum, and (4) differences between teachers who did and did not adopt wage-earning emphases. Data from 129 teachers revealed that the frequency of change reported by the experimental group exceeded the control group from 7 to 17 percent, and the integration of units into existing courses was the most frequently reported type of wage-earning emphasis incorporated. Findings also indicated that teachers most likely to adopt the innovation of wage-earning emphases (1) are mature professionals between 40 and 50 years of age, (2) have stability in their teaching position, (3) report favorable family attitudes toward their working, (4) perceive themselves as highly effective teachers, (5) report participation in professional organizations, and (6) have more highly positive attitudes toward vocational education. Phase I of this project is available as ED 049 358. (SB)